Tag:

Tax Fraud

Former NY Rep Paralyzed After Horse Accident Receiving Treatment At Kessler Institute: Report Former NY Rep Paralyzed After Horse Accident Receiving Treatment At Kessler Institute: Report
Former NY Rep Paralyzed After Horse Accident Receiving Treatment At Kessler Institute: Report Former New York Congressman Michael Grimm has been left paralyzed from the chest down after a severe horse-riding accident during a polo tournament, and is being treated in New Jersey, CBS News reports citing a friend of Grimm's.  Grimm, age 54, was thrown from his horse in September and is now undergoing treatment at the renowned Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, which has locations in West Orange, Saddle Brook, Chester, and Marlton.  Headquartered in West Orange, Kessler is where actor Christopher Reeve was treated following a similar accident in 1995, and was…
Union County Man Pleads Guilty To Preparing Phony Tax Returns: Feds Union County Man Pleads Guilty To Preparing Phony Tax Returns: Feds
Union County Man Pleads Guilty To Preparing Phony Tax Returns: Feds A 59-year-old Union man admitted to preparing phony tax returns to help his clients get improperly large refunds on Thursday, Oct. 10, authorities said. From tax years 2018 through 2021, Emmanuel Amenyo ran a tax preparation business in which he prepared and submitted individual tax returns to the IRS on behalf of clients, US Attorney Phillip Sellinger said.  Amenyo filed numerous false tax returns on behalf of his clients and subscribed to false tax returns with respect to his own taxes, Sellinger said. These tax returns falsely claimed charitable contributions, itemized deductions, c…
Manalapan Couple Failed To Report $4.5 Million In Income: Prosecutor Manalapan Couple Failed To Report $4.5 Million In Income: Prosecutor
Manalapan Couple Failed To Report $4.5 Million In Income: Prosecutor A Jersey Shore couple was arrested and charged on Tuesday, Oct. 15, with failing to report nearly $4.5 million in income over five years, authorities said. An analysis of Eli and Lauren Levy's personal and business banking records revealed that the 43-year-old Manalapan residents intentionally omitted taxable income from their jointly filed tax returns from 2018 through 2022, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said. They did so despite their companies, Supreme Cleaning Services, LLC and Nation Wide Shippers, LLC, collecting a total of approximately $4.48 million in revenue ove…
Former Wildwood Mayor Admits To Healthcare Fraud, NJ Attorney General Says Former Wildwood Mayor Admits To Healthcare Fraud, NJ Attorney General Says
Former Wildwood Mayor Admits To Healthcare Fraud, NJ Attorney General Says A former mayor of Wildwood admitted to his role in a healthcare fraud scheme that stole more than $600,000 in government funds, authorities said. Peter Byron, 68, pleaded guilty to three charges on Friday, Sept. 27, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a news release on Monday, Sept. 30. Byron resigned as mayor in September 2023 after he was indicted in the case. According to court documents and statements, Byron, current Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr., and Deputy Mayor Steve Mikulski enrolled in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) despite being ineligible. The SHBP is only open…
$400K, 415 Pounds Of Pot Seized In Hudson Valley Zava Smoke Shops Investigation $400K, 415 Pounds Of Pot Seized In Hudson Valley Zava Smoke Shops Investigation
$400K, 415 Pounds Of Pot Seized In Hudson Valley Zava Smoke Shops Investigation Five corporations and three people have pleaded guilty following an investigation into multiple smoke shops in the Hudson Valley that netted more than $400,000 and 405 pounds of pot. Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh II announced Wednesday, July 10, that three individuals and five corporations that were involved in a year-long investigation into Rockland County smoke shops, said  have pleaded guilty, The investigation began on Monday, March 4, when the DA's Office, the New York Office of Homeland Security Investigations, New York State agencies, and local police …
Long Island Business Owners Dodge Prison After $1M Sales Tax Fraud Scheme Long Island Business Owners Dodge Prison After $1M Sales Tax Fraud Scheme
Long Island Business Owners Dodge Prison After $1M Sales Tax Fraud Scheme Two Long Island business owners will avoid prison after confessing that they intentionally dodged income taxes to line their pockets. Brian Soltan, age 62, of West Islip, and Gerald McCrystal, age 51, of Dix Hills, were both ordered to pay six-figure restitution payments in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, June 26. According to prosecutors, Soltan admitted that he intentionally failed to report more than $2.8 million in taxable sales between January 2011 and November 2015 from several auto body businesses he owned in East Islip. Those companies included Long Island Auto Body, Long Islan…
Hudson Valley Smoke Shop Raids Net 4 Felony Arrests Hudson Valley Smoke Shop Raids Net 4 Felony Arrests
Hudson Valley Smoke Shop Raids Net 4 Felony Arrests Following a months-long investigation, four people and five corporations were busted for allegedly illegally selling marijuana and criminal tax fraud. Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II announced Friday, June 21, the busts after raids of seven smoke shops in Rockland County. According to Scott Waters, spokesman for the Rockland County District Attorney's Office, the investigations began in March with help from Homeland Security, local police, and other state agencies. The warrants were executed at two smoke shops in Clarkstown, two in Orangetown, and one in the …
CPA Firefighting Hero From Bergen Admits Role In $650,000 Tax Dodge CPA Firefighting Hero From Bergen Admits Role In $650,000 Tax Dodge
CPA Firefighting Hero From Bergen Admits Role In $650,000 Tax Dodge 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A decorated veteran Bergen County firefighter admitted in federal court on Wednesday that he and his business partner conducted a blatant tax dodge on behalf of a bunch of construction companies that employed their New York accounting firm. Jack N. Sardis, 66, of Englewood Cliffs admitted that he schemed to con the IRS with his partner, George Sanossian, 70, of Scarsdale, out of a small CPA office in a massive Westchester County shopping center. Sardis also offered to do business elsewhere, telling one client "I can meet you at my firehouse,” according to an IRS complaint. The clie…
Hudson Valley Dentist Dodged Income Taxes For Years, DA Says Hudson Valley Dentist Dodged Income Taxes For Years, DA Says
Hudson Valley Dentist Dodged Income Taxes For Years, DA Says A licensed dentist who worked in the Hudson Valley is accused of failing to pay income taxes for years, thereby defrauding the state of thousands of dollars. In Orange County, Fernando Ehrhardt, age 51, of New York City, was arraigned on criminal tax fraud and related charges in the Town of New Windsor Court on Thursday, May 30. According to prosecutors, Ehrhardt worked at several dental practices in Orange County between 2016 and 2020. Throughout that time, he allegedly failed to file personal tax returns, defrauding New York State of more than $13,000 in revenue. Ehrhardt previously had …
Mass IRS Agent Busted Filing Fake Tax Returns: Feds Mass IRS Agent Busted Filing Fake Tax Returns: Feds
Mass IRS Agent Busted Filing Fake Tax Returns: Feds The only certainty in life is death and taxes, but that doesn't stop people from trying to cheat them. A Swampscott woman hired to stop tax cheats is now accused of being one herself, police said.  Ndeye Amy Thioub, 67, was indicted on Wednesday, April 17, on three counts of filing false tax returns and three counts of filing false tax returns as an employee of the United States, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Thioub joined the IRS in 2006 and worked as an investigative auditor. Put simply it was her job to root out anyone who didn't give the government its due.&nbs…
$100M Scheme: Cortlandt Manor Man Known As 'Magician' Nabbed In One Of Largest Ever Frauds $100M Scheme: Cortlandt Manor Man Known As 'Magician' Nabbed In One Of Largest Ever Frauds
$100M Scheme: Cortlandt Manor Man Known As 'Magician' Nabbed In One Of Largest Ever Frauds A New York man known as "the Magician" has been charged in connection with one of the largest-ever tax fraud schemes by a tax preparer, federal officials announced. Northern Westchester County resident Rafael Alvarez, of Cortlandt Manor, has been charged in connection with a $100 million tax fraud scheme involving tens of thousands of federal individual income tax returns with false information, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Monday, April 15.  According to federal officials, from 2010 to 2020, Alvarez, also known as "the Magi…
Bronx Tax Preparer 'The Magician' Busted By IRS In Record $100M Fraud Bronx Tax Preparer 'The Magician' Busted By IRS In Record $100M Fraud
Bronx Tax Preparer 'The Magician' Busted By IRS In Record $100M Fraud A Bronx tax preparer known as "The Magician" was arrested by IRS agents for a $100 million tax fraud that federal authorities said was one of the largest ripoffs of its kind. Rafael Alvarez, 60, submitted thousands of bogus tax returns over a 10-year period, Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. It was one of the single biggest tax ripoffs by a single tax preparer in history, federal authorities announced on "Tax Day" Monday, April 15. And it allowed Alvarez to pull in $15 million in revenue in just three years, Williams said. It also won Alvarez his sleight-of…
Tax Advisor Failed To Pay His Own Taxes In Middlesex County: Prosecutor Tax Advisor Failed To Pay His Own Taxes In Middlesex County: Prosecutor
Tax Advisor Failed To Pay His Own Taxes In Middlesex County: Prosecutor A judge has ordered a longtime tax preparer to stop doing anyone's taxes after discrepancies were identified in those returns, authorities said. He also failed to file one of his own tax returns, they said. Jerry R. Jones, 82, of Monroe had a five-year state prison sentenced suspended on Friday, March 1 assuming he follows the court's order, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, Chief Griffin M. Banos of the Monroe Township Police Department, and the New Jersey Department of Treasury, Division of Taxation’s Office of Criminal Investigation. Jones agreed t…
Over $955K Scheme: Former CT Office Manager Gets Years In Prison For Embezzlement Over $955K Scheme: Former CT Office Manager Gets Years In Prison For Embezzlement
Over $955K Scheme: Former CT Office Manager Gets Years In Prison For Embezzlement A 53-year-old former office manager from Connecticut will spend years in prison for embezzling nearly $956,000 from the family-owned construction business she worked for, officials announced. New Haven County resident Erin Sullivan of Cheshire, age 53, was sentenced on Wednesday, Feb. 21 to 24 months in prison for her embezzlement scheme and tax fraud, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced. According to federal officials, Sullivan was employed as the office manager for the Orange-based construction business she worked for. Beginning at least as early as 2016, Su…
South Philly Cheesesteak Proprietors Get Prison Time For Tax Scheme, Feds Say South Philly Cheesesteak Proprietors Get Prison Time For Tax Scheme, Feds Say
South Philly Cheesesteak Proprietors Get Prison Time For Tax Scheme, Feds Say A father-son pair of cheesesteak shop owners were sentenced to prison last week for hiding $8 million in revenue from tax collectors, say federal prosecutors.  Nicholas Lucidonio, 57, and Anthony Lucidonio Sr., 84, the proprietors of Tony Luke's in South Philadelphia, will each spend 20 months behind bars, said the Justice Department in a release.  The Lucidonios, of New Jersey, carried out a "decade-long conspiracy to defraud the IRS" from 2006 to 2016, prosecutors said. The pair only deposited a portion of their earnings into the business's bank accounts and gave "inco…
Long Island Business Owner Sentenced For Hiding Income, 'Off-Books' Payrolls, More Long Island Business Owner Sentenced For Hiding Income, 'Off-Books' Payrolls, More
Long Island Business Owner Sentenced For Hiding Income, 'Off-Books' Payrolls, More A Long Island woman must pay hundreds of thousands of dollars of restitution and spend over two years behind bars after she filed false tax returns, hid money from the government, and more, officials said. Lorraine Pilitz, age 65 of Merrick, received her 33-month sentence and orders for restitution on Friday, Jan. 19, the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York announced. Pilitz was the owner and operator of several car-related businesses on Long Island at the time of the crimes, which happened between 2011 and 2013, the USAO said. The IRS requires that financial in…
$600K Fraud: CT Tax Preparer Gets Prison Time For Including Fake Expenses In Returns $600K Fraud: CT Tax Preparer Gets Prison Time For Including Fake Expenses In Returns
$600K Fraud: CT Tax Preparer Gets Prison Time For Including Fake Expenses In Returns A Connecticut man will spend years in prison for including false expenses on income tax returns for clients, federal officials announced.  David Etienne, a 49-year-old New London County tax return preparer based in Norwich, was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday, Jan. 17 for a tax fraud offense, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.  According to federal officials, Etienne worked through several businesses, including Los Maestros Inc., Los Maestros Group, Tax Experts USA, and Tax Experts USA Inc. Between the 2012 and 2021 tax…
Illegal Oxy Distribution, Fake Tax Returns: Long Island Man Sentenced For Scheme Illegal Oxy Distribution, Fake Tax Returns: Long Island Man Sentenced For Scheme
Illegal Oxy Distribution, Fake Tax Returns: Long Island Man Sentenced For Scheme A Long Island man will spend years behind bars for filling fraudulent oxycodone prescriptions for cash at his pharmacy, leading to the overdose of at least one person. Daniel E. Russo, age 44 of Cedarhurst, was sentenced to 60 months in prison on Wednesday, Nov. 29 for a handful of charges related to a scheme he ran at his Queens pharmacy for years, the US Attorney’s Eastern District of New York (EDNY) announced. Russo, who was the owner and operator of Russo’s Pharmacy in Far Rockaway, Queens, conspired with medical professionals and employees alike to fill hundreds of fake oxycodone pre…
Family Ran Multimillion-Dollar Cathouse At Sayreville Strip Club, New Indictment Alleges Family Ran Multimillion-Dollar Cathouse At Sayreville Strip Club, New Indictment Alleges
Family Ran Multimillion-Dollar Cathouse At Sayreville Strip Club, New Indictment Alleges UPDATE: A fierce battle between a Middlesex County family and authorities who've charged them with operating a wildly lucrative whorehouse masquerading as a strip club intensified with a new round of charges. The owners of Club XXXV on Route 35 in Sayreville used “various illegal means to turn their club into a multimillion-dollar racket (that) doubled as a house of prostitution,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said a superseding indictment returned by a grand jury in Trenton alleges. More than $10 million in proceeds from the business “moved through numerous bank accounts c…
Wilton Contractor Admits To Tax Offense: Provided False Invoices To IRS Wilton Contractor Admits To Tax Offense: Provided False Invoices To IRS
Wilton Contractor Admits To Tax Offense: Provided False Invoices To IRS A contractor from Fairfield County faces prison time after admitting to providing fabricated invoices and letters to the Internal Revenue Service, federal officials announced.  Wilton resident David Anspach, age 67, pleaded guilty to a tax offense in Hartford federal court on Wednesday, Nov. 15, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.  According to federal officials, Anspach operates a construction and remodeling business. As a result of a civil audit of Anspach's 2013 tax return, the IRS found that his business receipts were un…
CT Man Gets Prison Time For Tax Evasion: Ordered To Pay Over $160K To IRS CT Man Gets Prison Time For Tax Evasion: Ordered To Pay Over $160K To IRS
CT Man Gets Prison Time For Tax Evasion: Ordered To Pay Over $160K To IRS A 61-year-old Connecticut man will spend time in prison for filing a false tax return and providing false documentation to an Internal Revenue Service attorney, federal officials announced.  Tolland County resident David Kamal, age 61, of Stafford, was sentenced on Monday, Sept. 11 to eight months in prison for tax evasion, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.  Earlier Report - CT Man Charged With Tax Fraud, Obstruction, ID Theft Offenses According to federal officials, Kamal, a former Hebron resident, purposefully evaded taxes for the 2012 tax…
$2M Scheme: 6 Steal Property Deeds, Obtain Fraudulent Loans In New Rochelle, Yonkers, DA Says $2M Scheme: 6 Steal Property Deeds, Obtain Fraudulent Loans In New Rochelle, Yonkers, DA Says
$2M Scheme: 6 Steal Property Deeds, Obtain Fraudulent Loans In New Rochelle, Yonkers, DA Says Six people, including a licensed real estate broker and salesperson, and a corporation, have been charged with defrauding homeowners in Westchester and fraudulently obtaining $2 million in loans by stealing property deeds, DA officials said.  The six defendants involved in the scheme, including three Westchester residents and a Long Island man, were arrested and arraigned in late June for their role in a scheme that allegedly defrauded homeowners in Yonkers and New Rochelle, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced on Monday, July 3.  According to officials, the…
$2M Federal Tax Fraud Scheme: CT Restaurant Closes After Owner's Sentencing $2M Federal Tax Fraud Scheme: CT Restaurant Closes After Owner's Sentencing
$2M Federal Tax Fraud Scheme: CT Restaurant Closes After Owner's Sentencing A popular Connecticut restaurant has closed months after its part-owner's sentencing in a $2 million tax fraud scheme. Hartford County staple Ginza Japanese Restaurant posted on the door of its Wintonbury Mall hibachi location in Bloomfield that Friday, June 30 was its last day in business. The eatery cited an ending lease for its closure and thanked customers for their support through the years. Federal prosecutors say Ginza's part-owner, William Chen, and others who worked at Ginza and various area restaurants, deleted cash transactions to reduce the gross receipts and the amou…
$135K Spent At Strip Clubs: Westchester Government Contractor Admits Hiding Expenses $135K Spent At Strip Clubs: Westchester Government Contractor Admits Hiding Expenses
$135K Spent At Strip Clubs: Westchester Government Contractor Admits Hiding Expenses A Westchester County government contractor and its manager from Fairfield County have admitted to trying to hide tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money spent at strip clubs.  City Carting of Westchester, Inc. and its manager, 37-year-old Christopher Oxer of Darien, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, June 6 to submitting false financial records that hid more than $100,000 in company money that was spent at strip clubs, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.  According to the DA's Office, City Carting held an annual $20 million contract with the county …
Out-Of-State Tax Preparer Set Up Shop In Connecticut To File False Returns Out-Of-State Tax Preparer Set Up Shop In Connecticut To File False Returns
Out-Of-State Tax Preparer Set Up Shop In Connecticut To File False Returns A Florida tax preparer who flew to Connecticut every year to work on people's federal returns will spend next year's tax season behind bars, authorities said on Tuesday, May 30.  Keyante Paul, age 34, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison after she pleaded guilty in February to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false income tax return, the US Attorney for Connecticut said. Paul ran Keys Tax Services and would set up shop in the New London County town of Norwich each year to prepare tax returns for clients that included false "adjustments," which reduced what the …
$1M Fraud: CT Business Owner Gets Prison Time $1M Fraud: CT Business Owner Gets Prison Time
$1M Fraud: CT Business Owner Gets Prison Time A Massachusetts business owner from northern Connecticut will spend time in prison for tax fraud after failing to report just under $1 million in income for several years, federal officials said.  Windham County resident Mariusz Kalinowski, age 48, of Woodstock, was sentenced to seven months in prison on Wednesday, April 26 for tax fraud, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.  According to federal officials, Kalinowski is the owner of Webster, Massachusetts-based Kalinowski General Construction, Inc., in Worcester County, which provides&n…
Tax Fraud: LI Businesswoman Owed $49K In Unpaid Taxes, DA Says Tax Fraud: LI Businesswoman Owed $49K In Unpaid Taxes, DA Says
Tax Fraud: LI Businesswoman Owed $49K In Unpaid Taxes, DA Says A Long Island businesswoman who once made six figures could spend more than six years in prison for tax fraud, authorities said. West Hempstead resident Cynthia Ciaccio, age 62, was arraigned in Nassau County Court on Tuesday, April 4, for allegedly failing to pay over $49,000 in personal income taxes. Ciaccio was the vice president and COO of office product retailer Weeks Lerman at the time, according to her LinkedIn profile.  Nassau County prosecutors allege that she failed to file New York State personal income tax returns from 2017 through 2020. During that time, Ciaccio had a…
IRS Bags Hundreds Of Tax Cheats, Money Launderers As COVID Relief Fraud Tops $3.2 Billion IRS Bags Hundreds Of Tax Cheats, Money Launderers As COVID Relief Fraud Tops $3.2 Billion
IRS Bags Hundreds Of Tax Cheats, Money Launderers As COVID Relief Fraud Tops $3.2 Billion It wasn't long after the government began offering COVID relief loans three years ago that IRS investigators were hot on the tails of scammers. Since then, agents with IRS Criminal Investigation have pursued 975 tax and money-laundering cases nationwide involving $3.2 billion worth of fraudulently obtained loans, credits and payments meant to help American workers, families, and small businesses who were rocked by the pandemic. Over that time, IRS-CI has kept its conviction rate at nearly 100%, federal authorities say. It has produced indictments against 458 defendants, …
CT Tax Preparer Helped Falsify Dozens Of Clients' Returns: Feds CT Tax Preparer Helped Falsify Dozens Of Clients' Returns: Feds
CT Tax Preparer Helped Falsify Dozens Of Clients' Returns: Feds A Connecticut tax preparer is out on bond after a federal court charged him with more than two dozen counts of helping his client falsify tax returns over several years, authorities announced on Tuesday, Jan. 31.  David Etienne, age 48, pleaded not guilty to 25 counts of tax fraud on Monday and was released on a $100,000 bond, the US Attorney for Connecticut announced.  From 2015 through 2019, Etienne ran tax preparation services at Los Maestros Inc, Los Maestros Group, Tax Experts USA, and Tax Experts USA Inc. Prosecutors alleged he helped clients prepare numerous federal ta…
Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ
Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ There was no one quite as lucky as the Jaaffar family of Watertown. The father and his two sons cashed in more than 14,000 winning lottery tickets to the tune of $21 million in prize money to make them some of the state's biggest winners every year for nearly a decade. And what was their unbeatable system?  They cheated, a federal court ruled.  Ali Jaafar, 63, and Yousef Jaafar, 29, were found guilty on Friday, Dec. 9, of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and of filing a false tax return, the US Attorney for Massachuset…
Jury Finds Trump Organization Guilty On All Counts In NY Tax Fraud Case Jury Finds Trump Organization Guilty On All Counts In NY Tax Fraud Case
Jury Finds Trump Organization Guilty On All Counts In NY Tax Fraud Case A New York jury has found former President Donald Trump’s company guilty of all charges in a tax fraud scheme that prosecutors said spanned more than a decade. Jurors deliberated for just over a day before finding the Trump Organization guilty on 17 counts, including criminal tax fraud, conspiracy, and falsifying business records, in State Supreme Court in Manhattan Tuesday, Dec. 6. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the scheme was orchestrated by “high managerial agents”, including chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg and controller Jeffrey McConney. BREAKING: For the …